Do People Actually Like Jackie?

I've randomly watched much of the series out of order with my wife thanks to netflix but have been going back and watching everything in order so it makes more sense before finishing off the show.

I don't like Jackie as a character. That said, I don't like most of the people in the show either. As bad of a person as Jackie is there are glimmers of hope where she shows a lot of love for her kids and a strong desire to help them through the chaos. Also, while not perfect, she shows a lot of heart for making sure people in the hospital get help (as long as they aren't ... well.. actual bad people). None of those qualities redeem her from all the stuff she pulls, but her character is very fleshed out. She is an addict and she does a lot of stuff to keep up the charade of supposed back problems and what not to get that next fix... all while having some kind of crazy side addiction for helping sick & injured people at any cost (other than when it threatens her in some way).

The one thing that drives me to continue to watch the show is the format. It's not a bunch of random episodes stitched together but season to season it follows a pretty tight timeline without a lot of gaps. That to me is really interesting in that events sometimes don't get resolved for a few episodes.. yet hardly anything just slips through the cracks. It is, to me, a very fresh way to tell a story and it leads me to want to see what happens next. In general it's one of the most well crafted shows I've ever watched.

I love Edie Falco. My feelings for Jackie went all over the place, as I'm sure the show's creators intended. I was in a relationship with an addict and am still recovering from all the confusion and chaos, this show really opened my eyes to the basics that go in an addict's mind, even if the situations weren't realistic. So, I like the show overall, but it was painful to watch, and I needed to learn some things that were brought up in it so I kept watching. That's the mark of a great TV show for me, it gets people thinking and talking.

I found her character to be pretty annoying. Considering her baggage, she was judgy and sanctimonious.

Nobody has to like Jackie...that's allowed. She's not a good person and frankly I just don't buy someone who looks as plain as she does being with her husband. I watch the show on Netflix while I'm surfing the web and I often have it on mute with CC. I do like a lot of the other characters, but no Jackie. Addiction and manipulating people around you, especially those who love you, is just not funny. I have more sympathy for someone who is honestly and openly addicted or an alcoholic.

I'm three seasons in and like her. I like her flaws, I like that everything isn't wrapped up in a perfect package. Addicts function in high-stress jobs, and pull the wool over their loved ones' eyes all the time - I'm glad this show can do it so convincingly.

I think we're supposed to empathize with Jackie, but I can't. She betrays people for no reason, and throws them under the bus for crap she does--innocent people too, like Zoey, Sam and Kelly.

I gave up at S4, ep.3 when she throws yet another person under the bus...and gets away with it.

When I first started watching the show, I knew she'd be some edgy antihero, and I liked it. I thought that her NURSING SKILLS would blow everyone out of the water in the ER, while all the other nurses and doctors would be too stressed and freaking out over the blood etc. THAT would have redeemed her a bit. But the writers made a big mistake:

THE OTHER NURSES/DOCTORS ARE JUST AS GOOD AS JACKIE AT THEIR JOBS! The only thing Jackie does is break some rule for a patient she is arbitrarily fond of, like that one guy she got a new eyeglass prescription for, and that other cancer patient to whom she brought pot/drugs to his home. But she also screws patients over, like stealing their drugs and
taking a personal dislike to them and then causing them pain.

So why is she a redeeming character? She isn't.

The worst part about this show is that we are supposed to believe everyone around her thinks she is so super, and kiss her ass no matter what, even though she:
a)never does any personally nice things for the staff
b) is not charming whatsoever, and in fact displays her selfishness a lot
c)gets caught in lies and even betrayals
d) is not even that good looking (yet men throw themselves at her)

It's bad writing. Edie Falco is a tremendous actress, but how this show got past season 1 is beyond me. It just never gets any better, and you just hate Jackie more and more!

I feel the same way, LallaKing...and there's alot of posts below yours that made me think that 'Jackie Peyton' certainly won't win mother of the year anytime soon {or wife or friend, for that matter!}.
One thing though: she's cast as quite the nurse in this series, so at least one thing's 'positive'.
I must be frank: I tried to warm up to ANY of the characters in this series, and honestly, it wasn't easy ~ I found NONE that I REALLY felt good about.
But did I watch it all? YES, I 'inhaled' all 7 seasons and episodes in a few weeks, and overall, I though Edie Falco did a superb job.
The other cast members?
Not so much.
'You can't HANDLE the truth!'

Yes your missing something.
Jackie KNOWS she is a bad person, and yet prays to be a good person, which makes me empathetic towards her struggle. Not to mention the phenomenal acting job by Edie, one of the best acting jobs in a series Ive seen.